Grandma Knew Best!

Again we have a new revelation – Vitamin D is good for you (American Academy of Pediatrics doubles vitamin D recommendation to 400 IU per day for children)  - Is this new???  NO.  Man has known this for literally millions of years.  Did man not know that sunlight was good for your health?  YES.  Did grandma not advocate cod liver oil?  YES. 

Cod liver oil contains some 1,360 IU per tablespoon of Vitamin D.  Mothers used to give their children cod liver oil daily.  Herring provides 1,383 IU per 3 ounces, catfish 425 IU, salmon 360 IU and mackerel 315 IU per 3 ounces.  Why do we need to supplement vitamin D?  These oily fish also provide us with the long-chain fatty acids EPA and DHA.

Man has known that the sun was good for your health for centuries.  Twenty to thirty minutes of sunlight exposure to skin produces about 20,000 IU of Vitamin D.  At the new children’s RDA of 400 IU per day that is all of 1.5 minutes of sun exposure per day that is required to meet the new RDA for Vitamin D in children.  Did not mother say get out and play in the sun?  For centuries getting enough vitamin D was as easy as a couple minutes in the sun.

Are we really advancing in knowledge?  As Ecclesiastes says in the Bible, “nothing is new under the sun”.  Really, is all we can do today in order to produce “medicine, science and news” is rehash what man has known for millions of years?

Darrell L. Tanelian, M.D., Ph.D.

Comments

[Smitty]

Well said Sir! I commend thee!